JP2700269B2 - Receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

A television receiver includes a character generator (63) for generating a character signal suitable for displaying a menu of various processing control choices, such as processing for monaural, stereophonic or second audio program reproduction, "on-the-screen" of a picture tube, and a control unit (53) for dynamically altering the contents of the menu in response to the signal conditions of a received television signal, such as the presence or absence of stereophonic or second audio program information. As a result, confusion to a user in selecting (59) a processing mode which is rendered ineffectual due to a particular signal condition is minimized.

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to controlling a television receiver or similar system, in particular a television receiver or similar system having a control device including means for displaying operating instructions. To a device that

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Some television receivers and video cassette recorders have character generating means for displaying a "menu" of user control selections on the screen of an image display device such as a picture tube. . This type of system was introduced on December 2, 1986 by K.E.
E. Nortrup, United States of America, entitled "Television System with Menu-Like Function Control Choices," awarded to BWBeyers, Jr. and JSFuhrer. It is described in Japanese Patent No. 4,626,892.

In a conventional control menu system, the displayed control choices depend on the function selected by the manufacturer for a given receiver model.

The inventors of the present application have shown that displaying one or more control function items in a menu can cause confusion due to input signal conditions, especially considering that signal conditions change from normal channel to channel. Noticed. For example, a television signal received at a television receiver having multiple audio processing mode selections corresponding to monaural audio reproduction, stereo audio reproduction, and reproduction of a second audio program (eg, for a second language). Is not modulated with stereo and / or secondary audio program information, displaying a menu with all three audio processing mode selections would be expected even if the stereo or secondary audio program processing mode was selected. Not responding, causing confusion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To avoid this type of confusion, in a television system configured according to the present invention, items of control functions displayed in a menu, such as a menu for an audio processing mode, may include input signal conditions, e.g. , In response to the presence or absence of stereo and / or second audio program components of the received radio frequency (RF) television signal.

Object of the Invention Information components of a received signal (for example, in the case of a video signal, a luminance component, a luminance component, a control function menu displayed on an image display device) do not include a control function item that cannot be selected by a user. In the case of an audio signal such as a chrominance component, it means a component corresponding to monaural, stereo, second audio program information, etc.).

An input means for receiving a video signal and / or an audio signal having at least one information component, responsive to said video signal and / or an audio signal,
Processor means for generating at least one output signal corresponding to the information component; and processor for controlling the processor means such that the output signal corresponds to one of a series of control function items selected by a user. Control means; character generation means for generating a character signal suitable for displaying a menu of control functions including an item of the control function that can be selected by a user on an image display device; Or in response to an audio signal,
Signal detection means for generating an information component display signal indicating whether the video signal and / or audio signal has a predetermined information component; and said signal generation means coupled to the character generation means, and in response to the information component display signal, And character signal control means for changing the menu so that the control function menu displayed on the image display device does not include a control function item that cannot be selected by the user.

According to the character signal generated from the character generating means (63),
A menu of control functions that can be selected by the user is displayed on the image display device (17). Signal detection means (15,3
1,35) generates an information component indicating signal indicating whether the video signal and / or the audio signal has a predetermined information component in response to the video signal and / or the audio signal. The character signal control means (53) performs a menu operation so that an item of a control function that cannot be selected by a user is not included in a menu of the control function displayed on the image display device (17) according to the information component display signal. To change. The reference numerals in parentheses indicate those given to the respective components in FIG.

Effects of the invention Items of control functions that cannot be selected by the user
Since it is not included in the control function menu displayed on the image display device, the user can select the control function item without confusion.

Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The present invention is described in the context of a television receiver suitable for use in the United States, where it is modified by the BTSC transmission standard for multi-channel audio and uses the NTSC television transmission standard. However, it should be understood that the same principles may be applied to television receivers suitable for use in other countries where different transmission standards are used.

The television receiver shown in FIG. 1 selects, for example, an RF signal input for receiving an RF television signal from a broadcast receiving antenna 1 and an RF television signal corresponding to a channel desired by a user, and a tuning control unit. 5 includes a tuner 3 that generates a corresponding intermediate frequency (IF) television signal under the control of 5. IF signal is 45.75MHz
, And an amplitude-modulated image carrier component and a frequency-modulated carrier component of 41.25 MHz.

In the video processing unit 7, the video carrier component of the intermediate frequency is filtered by a video IF filter (IVF) 9 and demodulated by a video demodulator 11 to generate a baseband video signal. The video processor 7 also has a secondary baseband video signal input for receiving a "secondary" baseband video signal from an external source such as a video tape recorder or video disc player. The video source selection switch 13 is used to select one of the "main" video signal selected by the tuner 3 and obtained from the RF signal or the "sub" video signal received at the sub video signal input under user control. It is selectively coupled to the processing unit 15. The image processing unit 15 separates the luminance component and the chrominance component of the video signal received from the selection switch 13 and generates an image on the screen of the picture tube 17 such as red (R), green ( G), blue (B)
Generates a color component of The image processing unit 15 has control inputs (not shown) for controlling the brightness, contrast, sharpness, color level (ie, saturation) and hue (ie, hue) of the reproduced image.

In the audio processing unit 19, the intermediate frequency video component and the audio carrier component are filtered by an audio IF (SIF) filter 21. The filtered video carrier component and the audio carrier component are mixed to generate an intercarrier difference frequency modulated audio carrier component (eg, 4.5 MHz in the United States), and the intercarrier audio carrier component is demodulated by the audio demodulator 23 to generate the audio component. Generate a signal.

The audio signal generated by the demodulator 23 contains at least a baseband component corresponding to monaural audio information, and corresponds to stereo and second audio program information, depending on what is being transmitted on the selected channel. Contains one or more higher frequency components.
Monololes ("mono"), stereo audio ("stereo") and second audio programs (SAP) (second audit pr) according to the BTSC multi-channel band standard used in the United States
The frequency spectrum of a "composite" audio signal containing components corresponding to the (gram) information is shown in FIG. 1a.
The composite audio signal is 31.468 kHz, which is a buzz band component between 50 Hz and 15 kHz, twice the horizontal deflection frequency (2H).
Double-sideband suppressed carrier (AM-D
15.734 equivalent to SB-SC) component, horizontal deflection frequency (H)
In kHz contains a pilot signal and a 48.820 kHz frequency modulated (FM) sub-carrier component corresponding to five times the horizontal deflection frequency. The baseband component corresponds to monaural information for monaural reproduction, and also corresponds to the sum (L + R) of the left and right stereo sound components for stereo sound reproduction. AM
The -DSB-SC component corresponds to the difference (LR) between the left and right stereo sound components for stereo sound reproduction. The pilot signal is used to demodulate the AM-DSB-SC component. The FM component corresponds to the second audio program, for example, the second language of the main program, and is always monaural. Both the (LR) and SAP components undergo dynamic amplitude and frequency response "compression" at the transmitter according to the Dolby (dbx) system, as described below, and are complementary at the receiver. Receive "elongation". Since the bandwidth of the composite audio signal is much wider than that of a normal monaural audio signal, the separate IF filter described above is used to process the video and audio components, and is subject to contamination from the video components. To prevent the sound quality of reproduced audio information from deteriorating.

Returning to FIG. 1, the remaining part of the audio processing unit 19 and the control unit of the television receiver will be described.

The audio signal generated from the audio demodulator 23 is coupled to a multi-channel audio (MTS) decoder 25. In the following description, a stereo (LR) component and an SAP component are present (that is, the television and the selected
In the case of a channel, it is assumed initially that these components modulate the voice carrier of the RF signal).

Mono (ie L + R), pilot component and (L
The -R) component is separated from the composite audio signal by a low pass filter (LPF) 27. The mono / L + R component is already a baseband signal and therefore does not need to be demodulated. However, when other components are present, they are filtered by a low pass filter (LPF) 29 to separate the mono component from the other components of the composite signal. In order to demodulate the (LR) component, the frequency and phase of a voltage-controlled oscillator (not shown) are fixed to the frequency and phase of the pilot signal, so that the suppressed carrier of 2H becomes a phase locked loop (PLL) 31. The resulting recovered sub-carrier is used by the synchronous detector 30 to generate a baseband (LR) signal.

The SAP component is generated from the composite audio signal by a bandpass filter (BPF) 33 and demodulated by the PLL type of the FM detector 35 to generate a baseband SAP signal. The baseband (LR) signal and the SAP signal can be converted to a stereo or second signal by coupling each of the (LR) or baseband signals of the second audio program to an expander 39, as described below. Stereo / SAP selection switch 37 controlled to select one of the audio playback modes of the audio program
Is combined with Decompressor 39 performs dynamic amplitude and frequency responsiveness “decompression” for selected components that are complementary to “compression” performed at the transmitter.

The mono / L + R signal generated at the output of the low-pass filter 29 and the baseband (LR) generated at the output of the expander 39
The signal or the second audio program signal is controlled as described below to generate a left (L) and right (R) baseband audio signal in either monaural, stereo or reproduction of the second audio program. Combined into 41. In the monaural reproduction mode, each of the L and R audio signals can be obtained only from the mono / L + R signal of the base band. In the stereo reproduction mode, the L and R audio signals are stereo audio components obtained by adding and subtracting the baseband mono / L + R signal and the (LR) signal. In the playback mode of the second audio program, each of the L and R audio signals is obtained only from the baseband second audio program signal.

The audio processor 19 also has secondary left and right audio signal inputs for receiving secondary left and right baseband audio signals from an external source such as a video tape recorder or video disc player. The "main" and "sub" L + R signals are coupled to an audio source selection switch 43 which selectively couples the left and right pair to the audio amplification unit 45 under user control.
The audio amplification unit 45 controls the volume, balance, bass and treble of the L and R audio output signals in response to each control signal. The L and R audio output signals are coupled to respective speakers 47 and 49.

In response to the “magnified stereo” control signal, the audio amplification unit 45 selectively synthesizes a part of the left audio signal with the right audio signal and a part of the right audio signal with the left audio signal. It can also produce an "enlarged stereo" effect (when stereo information is present) if there is a large spatial separation perceived between the left and right voice responses reaching the ear. The effect of this greater stereo separation is formed by canceling the cross-coupled sound from the right speaker 49-8 reaching the left ear and the cross-coupled sound from the left speaker reaching the right ear. This works like a stereo headset, separating the left and right voice responses that reach both ears so that the speakers feel more distant.

The control section 51 controls each section of the television receiver described above. The center of the control unit 51 is the microprocessor 53. Microprocessor 53 operates according to a program consisting of instructions stored in a programmable read only memory (PROM) 55. Data to be processed according to the program is stored in a memory location of a random access memory (RAM) 57. The part of the program to which the present invention relates is shown in FIG.

The microprocessor 53 receives a user initiated command signal from a remote control transmitter (not shown) via a control panel 59 and a remote control receiver 61 provided on the television receiver. The control panel 59 includes various pushbutton switch keys that control various receiver functions, such as "on" and "off" control of the receiver, channel selection and volume level control. However, only those directly related to embodiments of the present invention are specifically shown. The remote control transmitter includes a similar push button switch key.

In response to a command signal initiated by the user,
The microprocessor 53 is an on / off control signal for a power supply unit (not shown), a channel selection control signal for the tuner control unit 5, and a video source selection control signal for the video source selection switch 13. , A brightness / contrast, sharpness, color level and hue control signal (not shown) for the image processing unit 15, and a stereo / second audio for the stereo / second audio program mode selection switch 37 and the matrix 41. For example, a program and stereo / mono mode selection control signal, an audio source selection control signal for the audio source selection switch 43, and a volume, balance, bass and treble control signal for the audio amplifier 45, and so on. A control signal is generated for each part of the receiver.

Under the control of the microprocessor 53, the character generator 63 generates a character display signal suitable for displaying alphanumeric characters on the screen of the picture tube 17. The character display signal is coupled to the image processing unit 15. Microprocessor 53
Is the channel number of the currently selected channel,
Various "menus" (e.g., brightness, contrast, sharpness, color level or hue, etc.) for status information (e.g., whether a stereo or secondary audio program is being received), operating instructions and user controlled selection. (E.g., adjusting image characteristics, adjusting sound characteristics such as volume, balance, bass and treble, selecting between monaural, stereo audio, or the operation mode of audio processing of the second audio program). The character generator 63 is controlled. The use of menus is desirable because the same user entry keys can be used to select different control function items.

The television receiver described above is located at 60 North Sherman Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana.
0 Thomson Consumer Electronics (Thoms
on Consumer Electronics) “RCC Color Television Basic Service Data”
(RCA Color Television Basic Service Data) 1987 C
TC-140 and "CTC140 Color TV Chassis Technical Training Guide"
This is generally similar to the currently available RCA brand television receivers that use the CTC-140 chassis described in the Manual. However, the television receiver according to the present invention provides the user with an unrelated control selection using a menu (in the following description, the control selection is
It means a function item to be controlled, that is, a control function item. ) Exist in that microprocessor 53 responds to input signal conditions that dynamically change the contents of a menu (eg, a voice menu) by eliminating irrelevant user-controlled selections. It is different from a television receiver. In conventional television receivers using CTC-140 chassis, extraneous control selections were not excluded from the display menu in response to signal conditions. This is confusing to the user as control choices being selected using individual menus do not produce the expected results. The dynamic menu function according to the present invention is particularly desirable given that the signal conditions vary from channel to channel.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the provision of a dynamic menu is applied to a voice menu as described in detail below.

Control panel 59 calls up each menu "Video"
Includes (VIDEO) and “AUDIO” push button switch keys. In this embodiment, the control selections are displayed individually and sequentially. Control panel 59 also includes "+" and "-" keys to adjust individual control selections.

When the VIDEO key is repeatedly pressed, the next control selection is sequentially displayed at the bottom of the screen of the picture tube 17.

COLOR (color) TINT (hue) CONTR (contrast) BRIGHT (brightness) SHARP (sharpness) When the control selection is displayed, the corresponding part of the image processing unit 15 is activated to adjust each image characteristic. You. At the same time that the control selection is displayed, a horizontal scale is displayed below the control selection. Pressing the "-" key moves the mark to the left and decreases the corresponding parameter. Pressing the "+" key moves the mark to the right and increases the corresponding parameter. For hue, pressing the "-" key corresponds to a color shift to one color, e.g., green, and pressing the "+" key causes a color shift to another color, e.g., red. Let it. The decrease or increase is produced by a corresponding adjustment of the control voltage coupled to each part of the image processing unit 15 under the control of the microprocessor 53.

When the AUDIO key is repeatedly pressed, the next control selection at the bottom of the screen of the picture tube 17 is sequentially displayed.

TREBLE (treble) BASS (bass) BAL (balance) STEREO / SAP: MONO or STEREO or SAP (display following ":" is due to the presence of stereo and 2nd audio program in the received signal) EXPANDED STEREO: ON or OFF (whole display is due to the presence of stereo in the received signal) Scale is displayed below each of the treble, bass and balance control selections, and these characteristics are image characteristics "-" Key and "+" key in the same manner as described in connection with
It is adjusted by pressing the key. For balance,
Pressing the "-" key increases the left audio volume level,
Pressing the "+" key increases the right audio volume level. Since adjusting the volume level of both the left and right audio channels simultaneously is a common adjustment, separate "volume up" and "volume down" keys (not shown) are provided to provide "volume" control selection. Is not part of the voice menu.

The last two control choices (Stereo / Secondary Audio Program and Expanded Stereo), as shown, include what is included in the audio menu, ie, the content of the received RF TV as described below. Of particular interest is that it can be changed dynamically as a function of the presence of stereo audio and secondary audio program information in the John signal. However, it is assumed here that the received television signal contains both stereo and second audio program information.

When the “stereo / second audio program” is displayed, the playback mode of the monaural, stereo or second audio program is selected by repeatedly pressing either the “−” key or the “+” key (the received Assume again that stereo and second audio program information is present in the RF television signal). When any one of the “−” key and the “+” key is repeatedly pressed, the reproduction mode displayed after the “:” sequentially changes as follows.

Stereo / second audio program: mono Stereo / second audio program: stereo Stereo / second audio program: second audio program The same sequence is generated regardless of whether the "-" key or the "+" key is pressed. . When an individual playback mode is displayed, the stereo / second audio program selection switch 37 and the matrix 41
And generates a controlled and selected response in response to each control signal from.

When "enlarged stereo" is displayed, the "enlarged stereo" mode is turned on or off by repeatedly pressing either the "-" key or the "+" key (in the received RF television signal). Assume that there is stereo information in Since one of the "-" key and the "+" key is repeatedly pressed, the state of "enlarged stereo" displayed after ":" is sequentially changed as follows.

Expanded stereo: off Expanded stereo: on When "on" is displayed, the audio amplifier 45 synthesizes the left and right audio signals by the microprocessor 53 as described above. When "OFF" is displayed, the audio amplifier 45 is prevented from synthesizing the left and right audio signals.

If the received RF television signal is not modulated with stereo or second audio program information, the selection of a stereo or expanded stereo or second audio program playback mode will result in the expected stereo response or second audio program response. Does not occur. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the microprocessor 53 removes the selection of stereo and magnified stereo playback modes from the audio menu in response to the absence of a stereo component in the audio signal generated by the audio demodulator 23 and allows them to be selected. And, in response to the absence of the second audio program component, eliminating the selection of the second audio program playback mode so that it cannot be selected. Therefore,
The user is not confused by selecting a playback mode that can be changed to an invalid one due to input signal conditions.

In particular, the presence or absence of a stereo component is detected by a phase locked loop (PLL) 31 for subcarrier recovery. When stereo is being transmitted, the phase detector in the PLL 31 responds to the output signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator (not shown) of the PLL and the pilot signal of the composite audio signal generated from the audio detector 23, and outputs the stereo component. A first level output signal is generated to indicate the presence. When stereo is not being transmitted, there is no pilot signal and the output signal generated from the phase detector has a second level indicating no stereo component. The “stereo indication” output signal generated by the phase detector is coupled to microprocessor 53. In response to a first level indicating the presence of a stereo component, the microprocessor 53 indicates first the selection of stereo ("stereo / second audio program: stereo") and expanded stereo ("EXPANDED STEREO") playback modes. These are included in the displayed voice menu and can be selected. In response to a second level indicating the absence of stereo components, the microprocessor 53 removes the stereo and magnified stereo playback mode selections from the displayed audio menu and does not select them.

The presence or absence of the second audio program component is detected by an amplitude detector in the FM detector 35 that responds to the modulated second audio program component. The output signal of the amplitude detector is at the first level when there is a second audio program signal, and at the second level when there is no second audio program signal. Weak second audio program components are interpreted as corresponding to those without second audio program components. The "second audio program instruction" output signal of the amplitude detector is output to the microprocessor 53.
Is combined with In response to the first level indicating the presence of the second audio program component, a second audio program processing selection ("stereo / second audio program: second audio program") is included in the audio menu by the microprocessor 53; The combinations shown above can be selected. The microprocessor 53 responds to a second level indicating the absence of the second audio program component.
As a result, the second audio program reproduction mode selection is deleted from the audio menu displayed so that the second audio program cannot be selected.

As mentioned earlier, the television receiver shown in FIG. 1 selects externally generated baseband video and audio signals from a secondary source such as a video cassette recorder or video disc player. It includes a video source selection switch 13 and an audio source selection switch 43. The source selection switches 13 and 43 are connected to the control panel 59
Key or a remote control transmitter (not shown) associated with the remote control receiver 61 (eg, 91
Or controlled by microprocessor 53 in response to a user initiated command issued (to enter an "unauthorized" channel number such as 92). Source select switches 13 and 43 operate together such that when the secondary source is selected, both external baseband video and audio signals must be supplied from the secondary source.

When the secondary source is selected, the externally generated left and right baseband audio signals do not pass and thus the MTS decoder 2
The selection of the playback mode of the monaural, stereo, and second audio programs is not valid, because the processing is not performed by 5. To avoid any confusion caused by selecting a playback mode for mono, stereo or secondary audio programs which is not valid under such input signal conditions, the microprocessor 53 is initiated by the user selecting a secondary source. Selection of the processing mode of mono, stereo and second audio programs (“stereo / second
However, the selection of the expanded stereo (“EXPANDED STEREO”) processing mode is such that the externally generated left and right baseband signals become stereo audio and are enhanced by the user (ie, “EXPANDED STEREO”). The enlarged ") is not deleted so that you can enjoy stereo and mono.

FIGS. 2 and 2a-2d show a flowchart of a portion of the program stored in the PROM 55 that controls the operation of the microprocessor 53 in connection with the use of the voice menu described above.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the program, and includes a command decoding subroutine and a display control subroutine between each part of the main program. The command decoding subroutine decodes user initiated commands generated in response to key operations on the control panel 59 and the remote control transmitter and stores data in various memory locations of the data RAM 57. To indicate what functions are "set" to be performed in the rest of the program or even in response to commands initiated by the user. The display control subroutine controls the information displayed on the screen of the picture tube 17 by generating corresponding character control signals in accordance with the functions "set" in the command decoding subroutine. As can be seen from FIGS. 2a-2d, the command decoding subroutine selects signal conditions, eg, the presence or absence of a stereo component and a second audio program component, and other conditions, eg, a secondary signal source. In response to the call, what functions are "set" and thus determine the nature of the information display and the available user controls.

Figure 2a shows the command decoding and
3 shows a flowchart of a subroutine. Step 001-0
14 determines what the new control selection should be after the AUDIO key is pressed by determining what the last control selection was. If a secondary source is selected, a mono, stereo or secondary audio program (M / ST
/ SAP) can not be selected (step 009), and if there is no stereo information, the expanded stereo function (EXPAND) is turned on or off unless a secondary source is selected. The control selection cannot be selected (step 011 and step 013). Steps
015-020 determines which adjustment should be made in the case of treble, bass and balance after pressing one of the "+" and "-" keys, or In the case of two audio program (M / ST / SAP) and extended stereo (EXPAND) control selection, it is determined which processing mode should be changed. A flowchart of a subroutine for these two control selections is shown in FIGS. 2b and 2c, respectively.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 2b, it is determined what the last mode was, and the stereo information (step
024) and whether or not there is the second audio program information (step 026),
After one of the "+" or "-" keys is pressed, it is determined which of the mono, stereo, or second audio program processing modes to select.

In the flowchart shown in FIG.
−029 determines the state of the stereo magnification function by determining what state was previously set (ie,
"ON" or "OFF").

FIG. 2d shows a flowchart of a part of a display control subroutine relating to voice control. Step 031-047 is the
In the command decoding subroutine shown in FIGS. 2a-2c, what is to be displayed in the menu is determined depending on what control selection has been set. Only the control selections (treble, bass and balance) or processing mode selections (mono, stereo, second audio program and expanded stereo) that are previously "set" in the command decoding subroutine are displayed. Therefore, if the information of the stereo or the second audio program is not present in the received RF television signal, or if the secondary source is selected, the corresponding processing mode selection (“stereo / second audio program: stereo”) Or "Stereo / second audio program: second
Audio programs ") are not displayed in the menu. Similarly, without stereo information, the expanded stereo processing mode selection (" expanded stereo: on ") and (" Expanded stereo: off ") is not displayed.

Modifications can be made to the embodiments described above. The display of control or process mode selection can be turned off under automatic program control off if the key is not pressed within a certain period of time. The keys "Channel Up" and "Channel Down" or "Volume Up" or "Volume Down" can be used as "+" and "-" keys. The second audio program or stereo presence detector may also include means for determining the presence of noise to indicate "absence" of the sensed signal under severe noise conditions. When supplying power to the receiver or when a new channel is selected, a preferred processing mode, for example stereo, can be selected from the beginning. When all of the control selections are sequentially displayed in the voice menu, the voice menu can be automatically terminated.
These variations and other changes are contemplated within the scope of the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a television receiver embodying a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1a shows the frequency spectrum of the composite audio signal processed by the television receiver shown in FIG. 1 and is useful for understanding its operation. FIGS. 2 and 2a-2d show a partial flowchart of a microprocessor program used in the television receiver shown in FIG. 1, and are useful for understanding the present invention. 3 Tuner, 5 Tuning control unit, 19 Audio processing unit, 25 Multi-channel audio (MTS) decoder, 3
1 ... Phase locked loop (PLL) for subcarrier recovery, 35 ... FM
Detector, 53 ... Microprocessor, 63 ... Character generator.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-58-210768 (JP, A) JP-A-62-21379 (JP, A) Fully open 58-123680 (JP, U) Really open 60-180185 (JP , U) European Publication 264199 (EP, A1)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An input means for receiving a video signal and / or an audio signal having at least one information component, and at least one output signal corresponding to said information component in response to said video signal and / or audio signal. A processor control means for controlling the processor means so that the output signal corresponds to one of a series of control function items selected by a user; Character generating means for generating a character signal suitable for displaying a menu of the control function including the item of the control function on an image display device; and a video signal in response to the video signal and / or the audio signal. Signal detection means for generating an information component display signal indicating whether the audio signal has a predetermined information component, and / or A menu that is coupled to the character generating means and is responsive to the information component display signal so that the control function menu displayed on the image display device does not include a control function item that cannot be selected by a user. Receiving means for receiving a video signal and / or an audio signal.